No. 14 Penn State field hockey (9-8, 4-5 Big Ten) was defeated by No. 11 Ohio State (14-5, 5-4 Big Ten) 4-3 in double overtime in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes battled for over 70 minutes of action in order to determine a winner.

It was a back-and-forth offensive battle from both teams and Penn State grabbed an early lead thanks to a conversion by Carly Gannon. Ohio State responded minutes later, however, Sophia Gladieux gave the Nittany Lions the lead just ahead of the half.

The second half saw Ohio State score two goals before Mackenzie Allessie tied it in the fourth quarter sending it to overtime. Two overtime periods were needed, but Ohio State only needed a few minutes of the second overtime period to secure the game-winner.

How It Happened

In the first 15 minutes of action, both teams threatened to score but neither could find the back of the net. Penn State received the first penalty corner of the game but was denied after a nice save from Buckeye goalkeeper Abby Danson.

Ohio State was awarded back-to-back penalty corners of its own later in the quarter, but the Nittany Lions’ defense stopped the attack without even needing goaltender Brie Barraco to make a save.

Quarter two started with another corner for the Buckeyes who once again were stopped by a nice save from Barraco. However, less than a minute later, Penn State was awarded its second corner of the game and nearly took the lead after a shot from Sophia Gladiux was saved by Ohio State back Sarah Richards.

Midway through the quarter, the Nittany Lions struck first thanks to Carly Gannon. The captain tipped in a goal after Gladieux’s shot went up in the air past Danson, allowing Gannon to score her fifth goal of the season and give Penn State a 1-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived as the Buckeyes went right down the field and scored their first goal of the contest, a rebounded shot goal off the stick of Julie Rodijk to tie the game at one.

With a little over a minute to go until the half, the Nittany Lions were awarded another penalty corner, and after three failed attempts earlier in the game, they made this one count. After a nice setup from Drew Taylor, Gladieux smoked a shot into the net for her 21st goal of the season and retook the lead for Penn State heading into the half.

As the second half began, it didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to tie up the game again. After a green card was given to Taylor, Ohio State took advantage of it, and Brenna Bough got a shot past Barraco to score her 12th goal of the season and tie the game at two all. For the remainder of the quarter, both teams didn’t respond and headed into the fourth tied.

Right as the final quarter began, Ohio State scored its third goal of the afternoon to take its first lead of the day. It was the Buckeyes’ third different goal-scorer, as Makenna Webster made it 3-2 Ohio State.

Down a goal, the Nittany Lions continued to fight to try to tie the game and were given the chance after Ohio State was called for a penalty with eight minutes left in the game. Penn State was awarded a stroke shot and Mackenzie Allessie did not miss, scoring her ninth goal of the year to tie the game at three.

Both teams continued to fight for the remainder of the quarter, but nothing was hitting the net, and the game rolled into overtime.

In the first overtime, both teams played outstanding defense and denied anyone from scoring the game-winner. In double overtime, Ohio State finally converted, once again by Webster her second of the game to win 4-3.

Takeaways

• It was a back-and-forth battle between both teams who fought the entire game. A double-overtime heartbreaking goal from Makenna Webster ended the tournament run for the Nittany Lions.
• Sophia Gladieux scored once again, and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year added another goal to her 2023 total and is now two goals away from matching her career high in a season.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will now wait and see if their season continues into the NCAA Tournament. They’ll find out at 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 5, if they will play for a National Championship or if their season is over.